Verizon:•WiFi:••

Pros:

They have a pool, playground, K9 park, small community room with books, puzzles, games tv and table, pavilion, recycling bins, WiFi, and lots of hiking trails. They also have propane on site.

The sites are on the big side giving you plenty of room to open your slides and awnings

Cons:

All dirt roads and sites that make for a very bad dog walking experience when it rains.

Very loud road noise from I40.

The cable in this campground only carries FoxNews ... no CNN here even on their WiFi. I don't care what a campground owners politics are, but I don't like them trying to control my options when I'm a paying customer.

Smelly. Literally it can stink from the nearby paper mill.

They filter their WiFi blocking things like Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, CNN streaming, and others. You can foil their primitive blocking by using a VPN.

With a threat of freezing temps, and without notifying us, they disconnected our fresh water and threw our clean hose and pressure regulator on the muddy ground and we didn't realize it until we tried to brush our teeth at 10:00pm. This alone was a deal breaker for us.

Review:

Asheville West KOA is not your destination type of campground. This is your basic medium sized campground right off a major interstate (I40) and close to downtown Asheville, NC. They have all basic amenities like WiFi, cable TV, full hookups, a pool (in season), a playground, a K9 park, and a small camp store. The staff were very friendly and helpful, but they don't escort you to your site. The campground has a paved road leading you in, but once inside it's all dirt or mud if it's been raining.

Lora and I had to be in Asheville, NC to see a specialist for Roxie's surgery on her knee. Her surgery coincided with the fall leaf season and all the campgrounds in and around Asheville were packed. In order to be here at this time, we not only had to bounce around a bunch of campgrounds, but we were forced to change sites within the campgrounds. On the positive side, it gave us the opportunity to review a bunch of Asheville area campgrounds. Check in was seamless, like most KOA's, however, they didn't escort us to our site. The campground roads were easy to navigate and the sites were on the big side. The road into the campground was paved, but the interior roads were dirt. It looked like they had once been gravel, but the gravel has long worn away. When it rained, the roads and sites became one big mud bath and that made it no fun to walk Roxie.

They had the standard KOA amenities; a pool that was closed (out of season), a nice playground for the kids, a big K9 park for the little poopers, a cozy room for reading, puzzles and board games, and a pavilion with a nice big fireplace. Unfortunately, during our stay the pavilion was being used for storage and so not usable. One unique thing about this KOA that we haven't seen at other KOAs were lots of hiking trails. Many of them interconnected making it one big trail, but you could enter and exit it at many points giving it the feel of a bunch of different trails. Nice!

Nice cozy space for reading, playing board games and working on puzzles

Nice playground at Asheville West KOA

Large grassy space and Camp K-9 at Asheville West KOA

Footbridge on one of the nature trails at Asheville West KOA

The Asheville West KOA is right off I40 just west of Asheville and a convenient jumping off point for Asheville and all the things Asheville has to offer. But, little did we know that the little town of Canton just about four miles west of the Asheville West KOA had a great local brewery called Bearwaters Brewing. We discovered Bearwaters Brewing our first night at the KOA and frequented the place since they had good beer and good food served by the Pigeon River Grill. BearWaters Brewing was a large brewery with indoor and outdoor seating and a deck overlooking the Pigeon River. The local paper mill was a stones through away which added quite an aroma to the place, but it was very interesting watching the trains going back and forth, back and forth dropping off tons of wood pulp.

This KOA had cable TV and free WiFi. The cable signal was fine except they only carried Fox News and not CNN or MSNBC ... not very fair and balanced. Their WiFi had a good signal, but it would kick you out randomly and make you re-login. This had the negative effect of rendering our pet and security cameras useless when it would kick us out of the WiFi while we where away from the coach. They also filtered their WiFi blocking things like Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, and interestingly the CNN news stream while allowing things like YouTube and Netflix. However, we have a VPN (google it if you don't know what that is) that foiled their filter and allowed us to use all those services that they were trying to block.

We stayed at Asheville West KOA for one week during the fall leaf season and for us that was six days too long. The campground had all the essentials, friendly staff and a few luxuries, but the muddy conditions, lack of choice of news networks on their cable (typically we don't care that much about cable and rarely even hook up to it, but the lack of choice rubbed us the wrong way) and a WiFi that kicked us off randomly were more than we could handle. For us, Asheville West KOA is a fine one nighter, but we would not recommend it for longer stays unless you specifically need to be in the Candler or Canton, NC area.

The End of a Chapter - The Northward Push Chapter

The Northward Push Chapter has come to an end and it's time to start planning our next chapter. What will it be? Lora and I have always found it exciting to plan the next chapter, but before we go there here are some highlights from our Northward Push adventure.

The idea of the Northward Push started when Lora and I decided to attend the very first RVillage rally called RVillage Rally One - The Connected Road. It was being held in Elkhart, Indiana. Yikes! Neither of us had been that far north in a long, long time and never in our coach, Freya. We were currently docked in St. Augustine Beach, Florida where we had wintered. We decided to give ourselves a little over a month to get from St. Augustine Beach to Elkhart. This was the birth of the Chapter - Northward Push.

Freya parked right in front of the rally tent at RVillage Rally One, The Connected Road - Elkhart, IN

Our journey north started by going south?? We had just joined Thousand Trails and had our first reservation at the resort Tropical Palms RV Resort in Orlando, Florida just a couple of miles south of Disney. We stayed two weeks at Tropical Palms RV Resort. As it says in its name, it was a true resort and a great introduction to the Thousand Trails network.

Great blue heron fishing in front of our site at Tropical Palms RV Resort, Kissimmee, FL

After Tropical Palms RV Resort, we started our push north with our first stop at Freightliner in Ocala, Florida where we had our annual maintenance done on Freya. Ouch! Diesel pushers aren't cheap to maintain. We had all of her maintenance performed, as well as all the generator maintenance done. Exciting stuff I know ... but it was part of the journey.

Working at Silver Springs State Park while waiting for Freya's annual maintenance to be completed at Ocala Freightliner

Also in this Chapter of our journey, we boondocked for the very first time. Yikers! If you don't know, boondocking is when you are camping for the night (or longer) with NO hookups (no water, no electric & no sewer hookups). It sounds a bit intimidating and we were nervous that first night. However, these machines are built for this and have everything you need to be off-grid. Our first boondocking was at the Tallahassee Auto Museum in Tallahassee, Florida where they allowed us to overnight in their grass field outside of the museum. The folks at the museum were great and we repaid them by touring the museum which was a fantastic experience. It turns out that boondocking was not only easy, it was fun and we looked forward to our next time ... which was the very next night. We headed further north and west to boondock for the night at the winery Hodges Vineyards and Winery in Camp Hill, Alabama. We bought way too much wine and when they closed that evening, they left the entire place to just us :-).

A tiny example of the exhibits at Tallahassee Automobile Museum

The view from the patio - Hodges Vineyards, Camp Hill, AL

Along our journey we discovered many micro breweries - some good, some great, and some, well, not so good. In Chattanooga, Tennessee we found Moccasin Bend Brewing that had one of the best atmospheres. It was cool, laid back, and dog friendly.

Outdoor patio area at Moccasin Bend Brewing Company, Chattanooga, TN

In Chattanooga, Tennessee we also found the worst micro brewery, Terminal BrewHouse that we have ever visited. They actually served us stale beer. Booo. We also revisited the Smoky Mountain Brewery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, our all time favorite brewery for great beer and great atmosphere.

Smoky Mountain Brewery, Gatlinburg, TN

Our favorite location so far in our travels - Gatlinburg, TN

We discovered a brewery and winery in Morrow, Ohio called Valley Vineyards & Brewery where we also boondocked for the night. When we arrived, it was Mother's Day and the place was packed for their Mother's Day dinner.

Mothers Day barbeque at Valley Vineyards & Brewery, Morrow, OH

Further north, we also found our new favorite micro brew at Iechyd Da in Elkhart, Indiana (pronounced yakki-da). This place was great! They had the most unique serving setup where no matter where you sat (inside or outside) you went to the bar to order from one of the many bartenders. This way you didn't have a dedicated server and so you were free to move around the place. You could migrate from outside playing some yard games to sitting at a table in the cool air conditioning. Oh, and they also had the best IPA we've had to date. Also delicious pizza to go with the IPA!

Cozy interior of Iechyd Da Brewing Co., Elkhart, IN

In this Chapter, we also explored a few caverns. Our first cavern was Forbidden Caverns in Sevierville, Tennessee. This was our first cavern and is still our favorite with variations of color and lots of formations along with a great cave guide.

Awesome cavern and tour - Forbidden Caverns, Sevierville, TN

The next cave that we explored was the mother of all caves, Mammoth Cave in Mammoth Cave National Park. We opted for the easy, introductory tour and I actually found to be blah and too short. However, the excitement came when a woman on the tour discovered that her purse was on fire. Yikers! That's no joke. Her purse was actually on fire while we were deep in a cave two hours from any help. The park ranger (who looked like he was 16 years old to me) reacted quickly grabbing the purse and the woman and expedited their exit from the cave. We never saw either of them again, but we could smell the putrid odor of burnt plastic for the rest of the tour. Next time we visit Mammoth Cave National Park, we'll opt for a more extensive tour.

The natural entrance to Mammoth Cave

The last cavern that we explored was Diamond Caverns in Park City, Kentucky. This was also a very good tour and our second favorite. The tour was about an hour and a half long with a couple of very narrow passages. Cool! The cave guide had a dry sense of humor that worked and the cave itself was spectacular.

If you're in the area, we highly recommend touring Diamond Caverns in Park City, KY,

This Chapter also brought us the best and worst campgrounds we've experienced so far in our travels. The best (and this was a hard choice) was Camp LeConte in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Just a couple of years ago, this campground was abandoned and in terrible condition. Then a young couple who are starting a family bought the property and have done wonderful things with the campground. Their personal touches are all over the place and its location close to downtown Gatlinburg can't be beat.

Camp LeConte is a sweet campground very close to downtown Gatlinburg, TN. In addition to RV sites, they offer cute camper and safari tent rentals.

The worst campground that we've ever stayed at was an easy choice for us and was Bear Cave in Buchanan, Michigan. This campground was part of the Thousand Trails club that we joined and was absolutely horrible. It looked like no one had done any real maintenance in years. The place was gross and falling apart all around us. We selected this campground because they had a cavern that we wanted to see, but after seeing the condition of the campground, we decided to skip the cave tour. If you can, avoid this campground at all costs.

This Chapter also saw us adding the following states to our sticker map. Alabama where we boondocked for the first time. Kentucky where we explored the "world's longest known cave system." Ohio where we boondocked at a brewery/winery on Mother's Day. And finally, Michigan where we experienced the worst campground ever.

All that in just one chapter of our adventure. And I didn't even mention all the great people we've met along the way. Writing this makes me kind of sad that it's ended, but I'm really looking forward to planning our next chapter. What will it be?

You can click the map below to launch an interactive map of our Northward Push Chapter, but be patient since it can take a little while to load (about 15 seconds).

We used to tent camp a lot and enjoyed staying in state parks as often as possible. They’re in beautiful locations and offer lots of opportunities to get back to nature. Two of our favorite state park activities have always been hiking and kayaking. But since trading stationary life for life on the road in late 2016, we hadn’t found ourselves in any state parks! What were we thinking?!

That all changed with our weekend stay at Indiana Dunes State Park, which is located on the southern tip of Lake Michigan in Chesterton, Indiana. What a magnificent park! Established in 1925, the park includes three miles of beaches and sand dunes that rise nearly 200 feet above Lake Michigan and provide habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna. Not only was it our first state park stay since becoming full time RVers, it was also our first time touching the waters of Lake Michigan. Since it was just after Memorial Day weekend, the weather was still a little cool in that area and we didn’t actually immerse ourselves. But we did touch the water, the beautiful cold water.

Duane’s first time experiencing the waters of Lake Michigan – Trail #4 leads to this beach

We arrived on a cool but sunny, blue sky Friday afternoon and settled into our spacious, shady spot (water and 50 amp hookups!). Our home on wheels is 36 feet long and we had plenty of space to spread out and not feel crowded even though the campground was full and festive that weekend. We were in site 90 and enjoyed the picnic table and firepit in addition to water and 50 amp electric.

After settling in, we went for a hike. We were anxious to see Lake Michigan up close for the first time. Even though it was early June, it was cool, so we grabbed our jackets just in case and off we went to tackle Trail #4, a 3/4 mile trail, rated moderate by the park, that lead through a forest of black oaks to the beach and offered beautiful views of Lake Michigan.

On Trail #4, Indiana Dunes State Park

Staircase up the dune on Trail #4

The highest point on the dunes, Mt. Tom, at 192′

The view from Mt. Tom. You can see Chicago in the distance on a clear day.

The reward at the end of the trail – a stunning view of Lake Michigan

The path we took back to the campground, Trail #7, was a little longer at 1.1 miles and also rated moderate. It connects the beach with the Nature Center along a shady, sandy path similar to Trail #4.

On Trail # 7 at Indiana Dunes State Park

The next morning we headed to the Beach Trail to check out the swimming beach and pavilion in the main section of the state park. The trail begins as a sandy footpath, meandering through shady and sunny areas and past a lovely stand of cinnamon ferns. About halfway to the beach from the campground, it becomes a nice, wide boardwalk with picnic tables and seating scattered along the way. It’s a wonderful, quiet place to rest and enjoy a snack or simply sit and reflect on the beauty of the place.

Cinnamon ferns along the Beach Trail, Indiana Dunes State Park

Cinnamon fern up close along the Beach Trail, Indiana Dunes State Park

Boardwalk to the swimming beach on the Beach Trail, Indiana Dunes State Park

Beach Pavilion at Indiana Dunes State Park. Built between 1929 and 1930, there was once a restaurant, changing rooms and bathrooms. Over the decades since, it’s been used for a variety of purposes. Because of a lack of funding for restoration, it currently only houses the lifeguard office and is used for storage.

The beautiful, expansive beach

Fun on the beach!

We had a wonderful day exploring the park, then headed back to our campsite to enjoy a perfect fire and some hot dogs and s’mores on our last night.

Making fire – Indiana Dunes State Park

Perfect campfire!

Perfect day, but it’s time to move on to new adventures

The next morning it was time to get back On Nowhere Road, but we hope to visit Indiana Dunes State Park again someday. We were only there for a weekend and there’s much more to see and do – more hiking trails, fishing, events to check out, and in winter, cross country skiing trails. If you have the chance to spend some time at this beautiful state park, take it. You won’t be disappointed!

Sometimes, when I'm bleary eyed in the morning, I struggle to figure out what to eat and end up resorting to cereal since it's quick, doesn't make much of a mess (which I'm highly opposed to) and the low sugar types aren't that bad, right?? For avoiding a bout of hypoglycemia shortly after breakfast, I know cereal is just not a good choice for me really. On travel days, my breakfast choice can be worse - the muffins and donuts in the grocery store bakery are almost irresistible. So to combat this scenario, I've been experimenting with rotating other options that I know make me feel better and are pretty simple to put together. I do end up with a little more of a mess, but it's worth it in the end.

Here are the five breakfast options that are turning out to be my favorites:

Plain Greek yogurt topped with banana, berries or pumpkin, honey, raw nuts of choice and cinnamon. It may sound complicated, but it's really simple - I normally use about 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt (it has to be plain Greek - this type of yogurt has much less sugar than flavored yogurts or even plain non-Greek yogurt - check the labels), plop it in the bowl, then top it with a little fruit (the choices I like best are ripe banana, fresh or frozen berries, or canned 100% pure pumpkin), a few raw nuts (I go for walnuts or pecans), a little honey and cinnamon ( I use a LOT of cinnamon), mix it all together and enjoy! This is my favorite on travel day because it requires no heat or electricity to prepare.

Rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats) topped with brown sugar or honey, berries, raw nuts of choice and cinnamon. I love this option mainly on cooler mornings and like to use rolled oats because I prefer the texture over the quick cook varieties. The oats can be cooked on the stove top if there's plenty of time and I don't mind messing up a pot, or they can be cooked quickly in the microwave. To the plain cooked oats, I add generally the same things I add to the Greek yogurt mixture - a little fresh or frozen fruit (with oatmeal, I especially enjoy raspberries, blackberries or blueberries), a few raw nuts (again, walnuts or pecans for me), a little honey or brown sugar, and, of course, lots of cinnamon. This is a good stick-to-your-ribs breakfast when it's chilly outside.

Smoothie made with plain Greek yogurt, fresh or frozen berries, and fresh or frozen ripe banana - This is a favorite breakfast (and sometimes lunch) when it's HOT outside and it's super easy. If you have a standard sized blender, the recipe for one hefty serving is 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries of your choice, and 1 ripe banana, fresh or frozen (the ripe banana acts as the sweetener so no other sweetener is necessary). We use the Magic Bullet (affiliate link) and it's much smaller, so we do this in two batches. Throw it all in your blender and mix away. If you use frozen berries and banana, it'll take a little longer to blend, but you'll end up with a very creamy consistency. You can even freeze this concoction for an ice-creamy texture.

Mashed cooked sweet potatoes with a little butter, brown sugar, raw pecans or walnuts, and cinnamon - This may sound a little odd to some people as a breakfast food, but ever since I had leftover sweet potato casserole for breakfast one year after Thanksgiving, I love it in the mornings. I like to keep frozen sweet potatoes for the times I want it and don't have access to fresh produce. Whether it's fresh or frozen, I cook and mash the potatoes in advance and then refrigerate it so it's ready to go in the morning. Of course, I TRY not to go overboard with the butter and brown sugar so I'm not totally losing the benefits of the sweet potatoes .

Hard boiled egg, whole grain toast and fruit - I'm not a huge fan of eggs in the morning, but, sometimes, the mood hits me and hard boiled is my preference. Before travel days, I like to cook a batch in the Instant Pot (affiliate link). They're very easy to peel (not sure exactly why, but it must be a result of pressure cooking in the Instant Pot) and we use them for quick breakfasts or to make deviled eggs, egg salad or to add to salads or sandwiches. This is one of the simplest breakfasts we both enjoy. Just slice your egg, top it with a little salt and pepper, toast some bread (if we're boondocking, we just eat the bread without toasting), add some grapes or any other fruit to your plate and you have an easy, nutritious breakfast in no time flat.

Keeping hard boiled eggs in the fridge makes for quick breakfasts, healthy snacking, and easy additions to salads and sandwiches

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]]>5 Favorite Kitchen Tools … So Farhttps://onnowhereroad.com/5-favorite-kitchen-tools-so-far/
Sun, 15 Apr 2018 22:44:18 +0000https://onnowhereroad.com/?p=908Limited prep and storage space means mealtime in an RV or any small kitchen can be a little challenging. Here On Nowhere Road, we’re always on the lookout for tools that help us streamline meal prep in limited space and keep the mess to a minimum, especially since once we’re all finished eating one of our delicious gourmet meals (well, basic and nourishing, at least), our only dishwasher is us. Here’s a rundown of 5 favorite items that we’ve been using over and over and enjoying tasty results without a kitchen mess meltdown.

Instant Pot – We have the 3 quart Lux Mini 6 in 1 model. Most people seem to go for a 6 quart model, but the 3 quart fits in our space and is all we need for the two of us. We usually get two meals out of each use of our Instant Pot and cook a lot of bean dishes, soups, stews and easy to peel hard boiled eggs in it. One of our favorite features of the Instant Pot is that we can saute vegetables or sear meat, then throw in the rest of our ingredients and finish cooking in the same pot. The model we have is available on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2BpWHfX (affiliate link) (our full review of the Instant Pot 3 quart Lux Mini is here).

Preparation for making black bean soup in the Instant Pot

George Forman 4 serving grill and panini press – For many years, we wondered what the appeal was with George Forman grills. It wasn’t until we became full time RVers that we began to see the benefits of having one. Since we have limited storage space and there are only two of us, we opted for the 4 serving grill/panini press. It comes in very handy when we don’t want to fire up the propane stove or use our outdoor grill. Even when grilling chicken breast on the Forman, no additional fat for cooking is necessary. And it’s fast – depending on the size of a chicken breast, we can make a salad or steam some broccoli while the chicken cooks and have a meal ready in 10 minutes or less. When grilling burgers or a steak, the fat drains into an easy to clean drip tray. We love grilled cheese sandwiches from time to time and get great results using it as a panini press. You can check out the George Forman 4 serving grill and panini press on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2svcZRQ (affiliate link).

George Forman Grill and Panini Press- trust me, there’s chicken grilling in there

Magic Bullet – Before we became full-time RVers, we had a full size blender that we used a lot for smoothies (and maybe a few margaritas ) but that blender broke just before we hit the road. We didn’t replace it immediately and for a few months, went without our favorite blueberry banana smoothies. As it turns out, we’re happy that we waited to replace it because it was during that time that we discovered the Magic Bullet. If you’ve never seen or used one, it’s a single serve portable personal blender and takes up very little space. You can blend up whatever you want and drink from the same cup you did the blending in, which is very convenient. It’s simple to use and comes with three different size cups, lids and a recipe book with lots of great ideas, including quick homemade salsa, hummus, coffees, cocktails and many other quick, small portion recipes. The Magic Bullet that we have is available on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2HeePKj (affiliate link)

Electric Kettle – We both love coffee in the morning and espresso or tea in the afternoon. Coffee purists will cringe, but we have discovered the joys of instant coffee. Not just any instant coffee, but one particular brand, Buendia by Juan Valdez 100% Colombian Freeze Dried Coffee. The joys of instant coffee for people like us include less mess and trash and conservation of water since there are no used filters to dispose of or percolator baskets to be cleaned. We’ve found having an electric kettle (or if we don’t have electric available, a stove top version to use with our propane stove) to be very handy for coffee, tea, cocoa, soups, etc. The one we use is available on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2Buyrtg (affiliate link)

Getting ready for a little tea and espresso

Cast Iron Skillet – I simply love this pan and would never want to be without it, not only because it’s easy to clean and great for making the best crispy pan fried potatoes and onions or crispy pan fried anything for that matter, but also because it belonged to my Great-Grandmother and I remember watching her use it in her kitchen. My guess is that it’s at least 50 years old. This is the one pan that will always be with me.

Fried okra in Great Granny’s cast iron skillet

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RECOMMENDATION: Buy

RATING: ∗∗∗∗∗

The Cinoton solar powered LED flame torches are the most noticed and asked about RV accessory that we use On Nowhere Road. We have four of the torches that we set out if we are staying at a site for more than just one night. They create a very nice ambiance and are a great conversation starter with your neighbors.

Solar torches after dark with Roxie

The Cinoton brand of solar powered LED flame torches are the best we have owned. They have 96 LEDs that simulate a very realistic dancing flame even when you are close to them. From 50 feet away, you'll think they are a real flame. The only thing missing is the sound.

Check out the realistic look of the flames in the short clip below.

The LED torches stand about two feet tall and come in two parts - a stake that you drive into the ground, and a post/torch which slides onto the stake. The Cinoton torches seem to be well made and sturdy. Roxie, On Nowhere Road's princess, has knocked them over without damaging them. They seem to come off the stake very easily so that they fall off instead of breaking ... however, we've never had one fall over by itself or in heavy wind. I do imagine that if you are rough with them or have small children, then the post would be the weakest part.

The LED torches have a very large solar panel for such a small light. Cinoton claims that it takes eight hours to fully charge the batteries and that the torch will operate for 12 hours when fully charged. However, I always turn the torches off just before I go to bed and I have never had one die with dead batteries even on an overcast day. Another nice feature of the Cinoton solar powered LED flame torch is that the batteries will charge whether the torch is turned on or off. We have other solar lights that you must have turned on in order for them to charge. It can be disappointing if you forget to turn them on and discover that they're not charged when you want to enjoy them in the evening. Not a problem with the Cinoton torches!

Solar Torch Solar Panel close up

Overall, we love our Cinoton solar powered LED flame torches and plan to buy more of them to add to our current set of four. They are very affordable, durable, long lasting, and a great addition to your outdoor living space.

Solar Tiki Torch with Lotus Dog

If you found this review helpful, please consider using our Amazon link above or below to shop on Amazon. If you make a purchase, we may earn a small commission from Amazon but it won't cost you any more. Thanks!

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The Amazon link below is for a set of two Cinoton Solar LED tiki torches.

RATING: ∗∗∗∗∗

Last year we jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon after reading rave reviews and watching fellow RVers’ cooking videos that convinced us it’s a tool every full-timer needs in their space-saving arsenal since it’s a multi-purpose kitchen appliance (6 in 1, 7 in 1 or 9 in 1 depending on the model). That meant separate appliances like a slow cooker and/or rice cooker would no longer be needed. We were especially looking forward to having the option of pressure cooking, not to mention being able to saute or sear and then finish cooking (pressure or slow) in the same pot. Not realizing that a smaller version was available, we originally purchased a 6 quart version and, unfortunately for us, it was too big to fit in any of our cabinets (it was literally too tall and wide to fit through any of our cabinet doors). Since we try to minimize storing items on our countertops, leaving it out wasn’t an option either. We had been excited about trying it but ended up gifting that 6 quart pot to a family member. Thankfully, not long after, we discovered that 3 quart versions were also available (which was also better because we typically only cook for the two of us), ordered it pronto and it fit in our cabinet!

Since we received it, we’ve used it many times to cook several varieties of beans, chili, soups, stews and even hard boiled eggs. It must have something to do with cooking the eggs by steaming them under pressure, but it’s super easy to peel them no matter how fresh they are. In our experience, the peels almost slide right off. And it’s wonderful to set it up and have a delicious meal ready quickly, without having to worry about keeping an eye on the pot during cooking at all. That’s my favorite feature.

The Instant Pot comes with a steam rack (which is what we use to cook hard boiled eggs), a soup spoon, a rice paddle, a measuring cup, and a recipe book and can be used several different ways depending on the model: as a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a sauté pan, a steamer, a yogurt maker (we have the 6 in 1 Lux Series 3 quart model which doesn’t have this feature), and a keep warm function that will keep your food hot after the cooking cycle is complete. You can also purchase accessories like a glass lid separately (which could be used for slow cooking, although it’s not necessary). We love that the inner cooking pot is stainless steel so there are no questionable coatings and clean up is easy. We don’t have a dishwasher, but for those who do, all parts of the lid and inner stainless steel pot are dishwasher safe. In addition, there are clear maximum fill level markings on the inside of the inner stainless steel pot for cooking under pressure.

The inside of the lid showing the sealing ring in place for pressure cooking

There is a little bit of a learning curve (especially if you’re not familiar with pressure cookers) but the user manual is short, easy to understand and supplemented with clear illustrations. It was particularly helpful that there are instructions under “Getting Started” for an initial test run using only a small amount of water to familiarize yourself with the pot and make sure it’s working properly. Once you’ve done that, just choose your ingredients, set your program, and start cooking!

Three things to be aware of: (1) one of the parts of the lid is a sealing ring that’s required for pressure cooking and we’ve found that the ring picks up the smell of whatever food we’ve cooked and it lingers even after washing (which we do manually by soaking it in super hot water and dishwashing soap – maybe if we had a dishwasher, the lingering odor wouldn’t be a problem? I’ve also read that cleaning with vinegar or lemon juice could reduce the odor but haven’t tried these techniques yet). When we’re not using the pot, we store the clean sealing ring in a big plastic zipper bag and that has taken care of the problem for now. However, we purchased additional sealing rings to have on hand (they come in clear and also in a 2 pack of red and blue but in our experience are frequently out of stock for the 3 quart size); (2) when pressure cooking, since the pot has to build up pressure before it starts cooking, (which can take up to 25 or 30 minutes) and then the pressure must be released after cooking is complete, overall times will be longer than just the cook time; and (3) you may need to vary overall cooking times based on personal taste preference. For instance, the recipe book suggests that unsoaked dry pinto beans be cooked for 25-30 minutes. For our taste, that time is more like 55 minutes (which including time to build and release pressure turns out to be about 1 1/2 hours total).

Overall, we love the features and quiet operation of the Instant Pot (ours is the Lux Mini 3 Quart) and that clean up is simple. And the best part is that we can have a tasty, healthy meal ready quickly with minimal fuss.

If you have any questions or comments about this product or review, please leave them in the comments section below and we will respond as soon as we can.

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RECOMMENDATION: Buy

RATING: ∗∗∗∗•

When we were searching for the ideal RV for us as full-timers, we made lists of “must haves” and “would really like to haves”. One item on the “would really like to have” list was an electric fireplace but the Thor Palazzo 35.1 didn’t come with one. No problem – the Palazzo had almost everything else on our list so we would forego the idea of having a fireplace. I know a lot of people are critical of the idea of putting a fireplace in an RV, but we had lived in a condo for a number of years that had an electric fireplace insert and we thoroughly enjoyed the no-mess ambiance it provided along with the supplemental heat. So, after living aboard for a few months, we decided we would remove the expandable dining table that came with the Palazzo and replace it with a fireplace insert.

After researching many models in several price ranges, we decided on the PuraFlame Western Electric Fireplace Insert. We’re very happy with our choice and have used it extensively for ambiance and as a heat source. Though it clearly is not a real wood fireplace, the logset, grate and flame and brick design background are surprisingly realistic. Most competing brands that we considered create the illusion of depth using as little as 2″, whereas the PuraFlame Western Electric that we selected is actually 9″ deep, more like a real fireplace.

PuraFlame Western Electric Fireplace

There are three flame levels – low, medium and high (high appears to be medium with some blue added). We love that we can turn on the flames without the heat and have a lovely, cozy atmosphere no matter the weather outside. There are two heat settings (low at 750 W and high at 1500 W) and a thermostat, which for us doesn’t work that well because the temperature sensor is located on the back of the unit. In our situation, since the temperature sensoris inside the cabinetry of a slide-out, it never senses that the room is up to temperature. That aside, the fireplace works quite well at warming up our living space on chilly mornings. Oh, and if you turn on the heat without the flames, there are still nice glowing embers. The PuraFlame Western Electric Fireplace comes with a remote so you don’t even have to get off the sofa to make a beautiful fire or turn on the heat : ) Installation was also quite simple. We set up a plywood platform inside the space where we removed the table mechanism and just placed it inside and plugged it in. If you don’t have a fireplace you no longer use or other alcove, you’ll need a mantle and surround as this is not a freestanding fireplace. Two other things to note: you’ll need access to an outlet ideally behind the fireplace (this is the case in our RV, but we had to plug the fireplace at our condo into an outlet next to the fireplace – not the most aesthetically pleasing set up); and the fireplace needs a few inches of open space behind for airflow.

The only other negative we’ve found with this fireplace (besides the fact that the thermostat doesn’t work in our application) is that there’s no sound of a crackling fire. We solved that with a separate, external crackler sound system that we sit in front of the fireplace. The crackler is simple with an on/off switch on the back and a toggle for three volume levels. We tend to enjoy the lowest volume setting – to us, it’s the most like a soft, crackling fire.

Overall, if you’re in the market for an electric fireplace insert, we would recommend giving this model a try. It’s available in three sizes – 26″, 30″ and 33″. It’s more affordable than other brands, simple to install and operate and provides nice ambiance without the mess and smokiness of a real wood fire (which, I admit, is still nice every now and then – we just make wood fires outside).

If you have any questions or comments about this product or review, please leave them in the comments section below and we will respond as soon as we can.

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]]>Visiting the Omni Grove Park Inn and checking out the 2017 National Gingerbread House Competition™https://onnowhereroad.com/visiting-the-omni-grove-park-inn-and-checking-out-the-2017-national-gingerbread-house-competition/
Fri, 01 Dec 2017 20:40:13 +0000https://onnowhereroad.com/?p=638While visiting family in Asheville, NC for Thanksgiving this year, we spent an afternoon at the Omni Grove Park Inn where our niece’s class had an entry in the National Gingerbread House Competition. Happily, her class won first place in the Youth Division this year!

The winning entry by our niece’s class in the Youth Division

The Inn, which opened in July 1913, is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of Historic Hotels of America. You don’t have to spend the night or a lot of money to enjoy much of what the Inn has to offer. Relax in a rocker by a big toasty fire and soak in the atmosphere in the grand but cozy stone and wood lobby. Meander the halls and check out the photos of famous guests along with cases displaying historic photos and documents. Check out the shops and have a drink, snack or meal in one of the many restaurants or cafes that are on the property.

The Omni Grove Park Inn

After checking out the fabulous Gingerbread House Competition entries, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the patio, sipped hot cocoa and lattes and took in some incredible views. And before we left, of course we had to spend some rocker time in front of one of the two huge fireplaces in that grand but cozy lobby!

It was a lovely afternoon strolling around the Omni Grove Park Inn and checking out the amazing gingerbread creations. If you’re planning a visit to the Asheville area (and you won’t be staying at the Omni Grove Park Inn), consider spending a leisurely afternoon exploring this wonderful property. They even offer a guided history tour at 9:00am on Wednesdays through Saturdays (free for overnight hotel guests; $10.00 fee for day guests), if you’re so inclined. You won’t be disappointed!

RATING: ∗∗∗∗∗

Now that colder weather is here, it’s a good time to talk about one important and easy way to keep the warmth inside your RV and the cold out.

One way we’ve found is by insulating our RV’s roof hatches. It sounds too simple, but in fact, you lose a tremendous amount of heat in the winter through your thin plastic hatch covers.

The Camco RV Vent Insulator And Skylight Cover is a simple yet very effective way to insulate your hatches and keep the warmth inside. The insulators are soft fabric on all sides except for the side that faces upwards which is a shiny reflective material meant to increase its insulation properties.

The vent insulators are designed to fit standard 14 inch RV hatches. So, if your hatches are not that size the Camco RV vent insulator will not fit your hatches.

Camco RV Vent Insulator And Skylight Cover Bottom

These insulators are a cheap and easy way to help keep you warm in the winter … oh, and cooler in the summer. That’s right. They also help keep the heat out of your RV on those hot summer days when the sun is beating down on your roof.

The difference in temperature during cold winter days or hot summer days can be felt just by placing your hand up near the roof by your hatch. You can feel a huge temperature difference when the vent insulator is in place and when it’s not.

We highly recommend the very affordable Camco RV vent insulator if you do any RVing in cold or hot weather. We have been using ours for over a year and can’t imagine RVing without them.

If you have any questions or comments about this product or review, please leave them in the comments section below and we will respond as soon as we can.

If you found this review helpful, please consider using our Amazon link above or below to shop on Amazon. If you make a purchase, Amazon will give us a small commission while charging you their same low price. Thanks!

OnNowhereRoad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.